An energy management system (or “EMS”) may be used to instrument (or “collect data”), monitor, and report on energy consuming devices (e.g., appliances, and equipment include refrigeration units, ovens, toasters, cash registers, sewing machines, compressors, conveyors, kilns, dryers, extruders, LCD displays, lighting panels, HVAC units, sensors, meters, controllers, switches, etc.). An EMS may also be used to generate events and status conditions associated with these devices (e.g., door open, door closed, trash compactor full, trash compactor empty, etc.). The EMS may generate energy usage data, which may be supplemented with other data sources, including environmental and climate data (e.g., temperature, cloud cover, sun rise and set, and relative humidity); non-energy usage data (e.g., water, sewage, and telecommunications); performance data (e.g., uptime, runtime or throughput); and business data (e.g., purchases, orders, packaging, and routing). The EMS may be used to control the devices in response to the data. For example, an HVAC unit may be controlled using real-time temperature and humidity readings to achieve desired comfort levels, and parking lot lights may be controlled by business hours and local times of sun rise and sun set.
A facilities manager may use an EMS to calculate energy usage trends for a facility, determine the energy usage of a particular energy consuming device at the facility, and diagnose conditions associated with that device. Some conditions may be manually or automatically detected, such as a malfunctioning HVAC unit, improper temperature setting, or an oven left on when the building is unoccupied. Once identified, the manager can resolve the conditions by, for example, prioritizing retrofits and upgrades based on energy use patterns of the various devices, appliances, and equipment.
The facility manager may interact with the EMS sporadically or at regular intervals (e.g., daily, weekly, monthly, or quarterly) depending on their responsibilities and priorities. A known problem is the facilities manager cannot predict when a particular energy consuming device will stop working. For example, an HVAC unit may be cooling properly, even though the heating component has stopped working, meaning that the facility manager will not know that maintenance is needed. As a further example, if multiple HVAC units are present, then the facility manager may not know that a particular HVAC unit is not working because the other units may overcompensate, thereby shortening the lifespan of all HVAC units and consuming more energy.
One solution is to have a technician perform routine preventative maintenance inspections on the power consuming devices. These inspections may be costly for the facility owner and disruptive for the occupants. Further improvements are required.